Pontevedra information
General information
Pontevedra extends from the end of the estuary of its name, southwards
along the Lérez and Tomeza river valleys until the outflow of
the river Verdugo at Ponte Sampaio. It is surrounded by four mountainous
sectors separated by two flaws, one north-south, the other northeast-southwest,
the latter crossing the course of the Lérez. It is situated between
latitude 42º20' and 42º30' north and between longitude 81º33'
and 81º41' west, bordering the villages of Barro, Moraña and Campo
Lameiro to the north; Cotobade and Ponte Caldelas to the east;
Soutomaior, Vilaboa and Marín to the south; and Poio and Pontevedra
estuary to the east. The municipal territory has an area of approximately
117 sqaure kilometres, and stretches almost 20 kilometres from
north to south.
The climate is mild and rainy like most of the Galician western coast, but it has peculiarities resulting from its location at the end of the estuary and from the position of the mountainous massif which surrounds the basin in which the city lies. These interact with the air masses which often move from the Atlantic toward the peninsula. The temperatures are pleasant throughout the year (mild winters and summers not too hot) with an annual average temperature of about fifteen degrees centigrade and a mean thermal variation of about ten degrees, this modest value thanks to the proximity of the sea.
Pontevedra is, at the same time, provincial capital and juridical and administrative centre. It consists of the city and fifteen rural parishes with a total population of 75,167, producing a high population density of 635 inhabitants per square kilometre. 52,185 live in the urban centre and 22,982 in the rural area. As in the rest of Galicia, there are two languages spoken: Spanish (official language of the state) and Galician (official language of the autonomous community). Although the majority uses Spanish, Gallician is used almost exclusively by the rural population.
Pontevedra guide
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